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January 31, 2007

Grateful...

  • for the button tabs that make my pants three inches smaller.
  • that Jon is finally being recognized for his hard work and promoted to Senior Systems Engineer.
  • for Moleskine notebooks small enough to fit in my purse.
  • for artificial sweetners.
  • for winter sales and super fast shipping.

Posted by criminal at 5:08 PM | Comments (1)

January 30, 2007

Downhill

I spoke too soon. When I wrote my post last night my weight had been hovering around 271-272 for the last two weeks. Although some people say it's unhealthy, and I certainly have been one of them, I've been weighing myself every morning. I have realistic expectations -- I don't expect it to go down every day or even to not come back up. I just like seeing the trend and comparing my weight to how I feel. Even so, seeing the same two pounds over and over was starting to be discouraging.

This morning I broke a little goal line when I weighed in at 269.4 pounds. Thats the 260s, which aren't far from the 250s and the bulk of my waiting wardrobe.

And yes, that's still a lot. But it's 17 pounds less than I was a month ago and at least 40 less than my peak seven years ago. It's also downward progress, which I like to see when I've been making good choices. I'd like to manage to lose another 15 pounds in February, but I think 5 is a more reasonable goal, even with this downhill trend.

Posted by criminal at 1:37 PM | Comments (1)

January 29, 2007

Plateau

My weight loss has hit a plateau.

It's a little discouraging, but I'm trying to stay on track. Now that I'm enjoying more dairy, I think there may be too much fat, even for a low-carb diet. Like the pepperoni slices I've been having as a snack. They've got nearly a gram of fat in each one! How did I not realize that before I pounded down a little stack every day? That will get you off track in a hurry, I guess.

Posted by criminal at 11:21 PM | Comments (1)

January 25, 2007

Slowing Down

I've mentioned before that I have IBS. It's not exactly fun, but you get used to life with speedy gastrointestinal motility. Aside from scoping out restrooms everywhere you go and buying premium toilet paper, it isn't all that different. Bathroom trips are frequent, but quick.

But when things start to slow down, you notice in a big way. Something I ate this week has me off schedule and feeling incredibly bloated. It makes me wonder how the rest of the world survives with so much stuff sitting in their systems. The only benefit is that I feel too full to be very hungry.

Posted by criminal at 12:28 PM | Comments (0)

January 24, 2007

ABCs

Jen70 tagged me and everyone else on Splitcoast. So here goes, a little ABC list to help you get to know me better.
A-Available or Taken: Taken
B-Best Friend: Jon
C-Cake or Pie: It depends on whether I want to feel indulgent or comforted.
D-Drink of Choice: Coke Zero. Or beer.

E-Essential Item You Use Everyday: deoderant
F-Favorite Color: Red
G-Gummy Bears or Worms: gummy bears, the worms are too big
H-Hometown: Flint, MI
I-Indulgence: carbohydrates
J-January or February: February
K-Kids and Names: none yet, but I have a good idea of what I would like to name them
L-Life is Incomplete Without: winter
M-Marriage Date: August 20, 2005
N-Number of Siblings: just one wonderful sister
O-Oranges or Apples: apples
P-Phobias or Fears: fish and falling down the stairs
Q-Favorite Quote: "That's my only real motivation -- not to be hassled, that, and the fear of losing my job. But you know, Bob, that will only make someone work just hard enough not to get fired." - Peter Gibbons, Office Space
R-Reason to Smile: my ridiculous cats
S-Season: winter
T-Tag 3 or 4 people: Amy, Gillian, Carol, Jami
U-Unknown fact about me: I don't think I'm as good at things and people seem to think I am
V-Vegetable you don't like: hot peppers
W-Worst Habit: being late to everything
X-Xrays: last winter I had my wrists Xrayed
Y-Your fave food: rice and beans
Z-Zodiac: Pisces

Posted by criminal at 6:21 PM | Comments (0)

January 22, 2007

Ohmigawd, Shoes!

Gillian and Jami have me stuck on shoes. All the talk of cute boots, and links to cute shoes, and reward suggestions... It's just too much. I need to get them out of my head. So here are all of the shoes I want right now:

In the words of the immortal Kelly: Let's get 'em!

Posted by criminal at 2:25 PM | Comments (0)

January 19, 2007

They're Back!

Comments are now back. I thought I turned them back on months ago, but the settings were never saved. Oops. On the plus side, I've activated TypeKey registration so that you can sign in and have your comments automatically approved.

Posted by criminal at 2:13 PM | Comments (3)

January 17, 2007

Long Wait

Do you ever find yourself so fixated on something that time seems to grind to a halt? You know, because everything should be as lightning fast as the Internet, including other people. Reality is agonizingly slow at times.

We're looking for apartments again. Not that we don't love the one we have (because we do and it's fabulous) but because it's just cheaper to live in New Hampshire now that I work within commuting distance of Nashua. That and they want to raise our rent if we don't sign another year-long lease, which isn't exactly what we had in mind. After determining that Nashua has nothing that even remotely compares to our current apartment, we figured we would just have to settle and make ourselves happy about saving money. The top contender is a townhouse that's affordable and spacious, yet dingy and worn.

Enter an e-mail forwarded by Steve this morning from a co-worker whose brother is trying to rent his townhouse in Hudson through Craigslist. A cute townhouse of the sort I had been drooling over on the real estate sites, and at a good price. I replied to the ad and am now impatiently waiting to hear back. I don't know where it is exactly (although I suspect Fox Hollow) or even if it's still available. The waiting is killing me because every moment I don't know is another moment I speculate about what it would be like to live there and to decorate there and to park there and to craft there and... My mind just spins. And for an incredibly patient person, I start to feel awfully impatient.

Posted by criminal at 3:45 PM | Comments (1)

January 16, 2007

How Rewarding

I think I'd like to reward myself for losing weight. And since I have plenty of clothes in the next size (or two or three) down, I really don't need clothing shopping sprees. That's not to say I won't justify a few new things along the way, but I think it would be nice to treat myself when I hit my goals.

The only problem is that I can't figure out what to get! Imagine that. I always have a wishlist, and am a perpetual window shopper, but here I am unable to figure out what to splurge on. This has to be a first. Maybe it's because I'm trying to keep my expenses at a minimum, but I'm just having trouble spending money. I'm even second guessing my decision to sign up to be a Stampin' Up demonstrator with a smaller starter kit.

Posted by criminal at 10:59 AM | Comments (0)

January 15, 2007

Lighter

At this point last week I had lost 10 pounds, most of which I thought was water. Some of it probably was, as I fluctuated back up before coming back down. I'm now at about 15 pounds lost. That's after two weeks of a relatively strict low-carb diet. And it means I'm 15% closer to my goal, which totally deserves a reward. I just don't know what yet.

Phase two starts today, which is a huge relief. I loves me some whole grains. And there are only so many days of eggs for breakfast I can take. There are a bunch recipes that help me make it through phase one, but these have been some of my favorites:

Posted by criminal at 10:49 AM | Comments (0)

Legomania!

Blue Spaceman
11 Classicness, 1 Technology, 5 Team, -9 Aggressiveness
Your results: Classic High-tech Goodguy Citizen

Found in: 6824 Space Dart-I, 1984
Link: The Which Lego Minifig Are You? Test written by legomutineer on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Posted by criminal at 9:41 AM | Comments (0)

January 11, 2007

If a Tree Falls...

My Christmas tree came down this week. All of the ornaments and holiday decorations are packed up, save one lonely piece of garland I just realized that I forgot. That includes the festive holiday skin I used on the site. I need to come up with something that screams spring, but I just haven't been inspired to create Web designs lately. Maybe stamping or scrapping it would help.

The little Solstice tree that Jon bought me last month has finally made it into work. Since every good plant needs a name, I think I'll call him Sunny. I'll have to remember to water it frequently and hope that it will get enough sunlight. My desk is just past the end of a big bank of windows so it gets a fair amount of indirect sunlight.

Posted by criminal at 11:28 PM | Comments (0)

Mold, Schmold

Ever get really excited about something you're planning to make or eat only to pull it out and discover that it's covered in mold? That was me and my morning snack. I had hoped to have some string cheese, but despite the fact that it just came out of the fridge this morning, the inside of the package looks fuzzy and green. That really ruined my appetite.

Posted by criminal at 12:14 PM | Comments (0)

January 9, 2007

Have You Filed Your TPS Report?

I think it may be time to break out Office Space again.

Posted by criminal at 10:32 AM | Comments (0)

January 8, 2007

Chocolate

On Sunday, I rode with Gillian out to Heidi's house for a fabulous chocolate tasting. Using a Michel Cluizel tasting box we sampled seven different dark chocolates from all over the world, taking notes on the different flavors and textures. They were all impressive, but I found myself gravitating to the more complex flavors of the chocolates from Venezuela and Java. Although I heard a few people say they were bitter, I thought they were the most balanced of the discs we tried. I loved the slightly floral honey notes in the Venezuelan chocolate and the earthier notes in the chocolate from Java. Madagascar rounds out my top three with its fruity flavor. I didn't enjoy the chocolates from Grenada and Ghana as much and thought both had an overly alkaline quality that left my tongue feeling chalky. I'm curious as to what everyone else thought of them because we never really regrouped after the tasting -- I'm not sure that anyone was very confident in their notes or tasting vocabulary.

Posted by criminal at 4:58 PM | Comments (0)

Low Carb and Loving It

  • Jon and I are back in Phase 1 of South Beach. Since we've been eating a lower carb diet for all of 2006 (except perhaps the month of December), I'm not finding it very difficult at all. In fact, I'm finding that I'm not terribly hungry. It helps that I've lost 10 pounds in the past week. I know, I know. It's probably water weight, but I feel smaller and that's motivating.
  • It's way too warm to be January. This is winter in New England, not New Mexico. When I wake up and walk outside in my pajamas, I really shouldn't feel the need to put on something lighter. It was nearly 70 degrees and sunny this weekend. What's next, a Fourth of July party in January?
  • I think the commuters on Route 3 mistook this morning's rain for snow because they were driving like we were in the middle of a blizzard instead of a mild downpour.
  • I've heard it's a decent time to buy houses, so I'm starting to wonder if we should look into condos instead of another apartment. I'm not sure if I'm ready to buy something that big or to take on the responsibility of home ownership. Then again, I also hate the idea of paying as much rent as we do without getting at least a little equity out of it.

Posted by criminal at 4:05 PM | Comments (0)

January 5, 2007

Ideas Needed

If you didn't already know, I've been running a little site called Five on Fridays for over a year now. For the last month or two I've been struggling to come up with interesting topics and good questions. I'm not ready to give it up, I just need a little inspiration and direction. That's where you come in.

What do you want to talk about in the coming months?
What kinds of things do you want to learn about your friends when you read their blogs and journals?
Would a little feedback/suggestion form on the site help?

Posted by criminal at 10:59 AM | Comments (0)

January 3, 2007

nutty

Gillian: i think i have figured out how to verbalize my frustration... i just hope i remember not to call her nutty mcappletree
Sarah: that might be counter-productive

Posted by criminal at 4:57 PM | Comments (0)

Welcome Back

I've found that it is really hard to write here after taking a long break. I never know where to start or what to write about. Should I start where I left off a few weeks ago? Or just pretend I've been blogging all along? It shouldn't be complicated, but it always gives me pause. And any pause gives me an excuse to put it off for another day.

Maybe that's a good new year's resolution: stop putting off everything that feels difficult. Like the laundry I usually neglect. I've been trying to fold it in the morning when I come across it, even if it takes a few extra minutes. I wish I could say I've been as good about the dishes or the litter box, or even putting the folded laundry away. But I'll take what I can get.

In any case, I hope all of your holidays were merry and that the new year finds you happy and healthy.

Posted by criminal at 11:38 AM | Comments (0)

Save me from these evil deeds before I get them done. [FA]